Events Past

Reports of previous HPS Norfolk and Suffolk Group events, as told by our members.
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'Creepers, Crawlers and Climbers'

Written by Chris Davies. Posted in Events Past

cid 47819393-A133-4BA7-A86F-A6B5EAF30204home     13th February 2016.

      Talk on 'Creepers, Crawlers and Climbers' by Michael Warren

 

 

This speaker described his upbringing, noting a number of events with which many of us could identify, spending his working life in a job for which he felt his   strengths had not fitted him. However, he moved into photography, which took him from strength to strength, providing illustrations for notable garden authors starting with Alan Bloom.

His slides were varied, as were the plants they depicted, and Michael clearly had a diverse knowledge of unusual plants, including variegated ones, and showed many Clematis, less common Cobea scandens, and unusual Dregea, plus some colourful centipedes and less attractive sawfly larvae.

There will be a detailed write-up in the June Newsletter.

 Chris Davies

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A Very Norfolk Challenge

Written by Chris Davies. Posted in Events Past

23rd January 2016

“A Very Norfolk Challenge”, talk given by John Simmons OBE, who seems to have been awarded the VMH while I wasn't looking.

John described the generation of his garden from an unprepossesing field and huge area of water, together covering 2.5 acres.

We could all appreciate the time and effort involved, and enjoyed John's pictures of both the developing plot and ponds, and the beautiful and interesting plants and shrubs, not to mention wildlife to which it is home.

He mentioned a 'bistort pudding', which looks like a strange excuse to put together an unusual collection of ingredients, perhaps as an excuse to be in a warm kitchen for several hours during April.(See Google).

Another endearing, or perhaps slightly shocking snippet, depending on your point of view, was that he uses Glyphosate to curb the spread of over-boisterous clumps of perennials, by watering it round at his chosen circumference.

This was an informative and lively talk, and members didn't miss too much when the microphone failed after John had dropped it.

There will be a write-up in the Summer newsletter.

Chris Davies

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